KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - The police will not seek a salary revision under the present economic climate and because they had a raise last year. Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Musa Hassan, who said this yesterday, instead called on his men to exercise thrift and prudence.

"Do not aspire to drive a bigger car or get a larger television simply because someone else has it. Manage your finances and live within your means.

"A constable earns about RM1,500 a month inclusive of allowances. That should be enough to live on provided he is prudent," Musa said at Bukit Aman after conferring honorary police ranks on five officials from the Higher Education Department.

He was commenting on an issue that was raised in Dewan Negara recently, about policemen accepting bribes because of their low pay.

In May last year, the government announced salary increases for more than one million civil servants and 557,033 eligible pensioners.

The cost-of-living allowance was increased by as much as 100 per cent and the salary adjusted by 7.5 per cent for senior management and 35 per cent for the lower-ranking staff. Police and army personnel received an additional 20 per cent increase.

Musa told his men to not justify accepting bribes as a way to make ends meet.

"Be strong-willed, prudent and you can survive without bribes."

At yesterday's ceremony, Higher Education Department director-general Datuk Dr Radin Umar Radin Sohadi was conferred the honorary rank of assistant commissioner and the position of commandant of the Malaysian Police Undergraduate Voluntary Corps.

Professor Dr Mohd Fauzi Ramlam was conferred the rank of superintendent and the position of deputy commandant while Professor Dr Rujhan Mustafa was appointed deputy superintendent and the position of adjutant of the corps.

Habib Zam and Mad Tar-mizi Muhamud were conferred the rank of assistant superintendent and the positions of academic training officer and outdoor training officer respectively.

The Police Undergraduate Voluntary Corps idea was inspired by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in 2002 to produce graduates who were competent, disciplined and had noble values.